Recall: Dried Fish Taken Off Shelves for Potential Botulism Risk

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black is alerting Georgians to the recall of select lots of dried fish produced by S&S Food Import Corp.

Routine sampling by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets revealed the products were not properly eviscerated before processing. The sale of uneviscerated processed fish is prohibited in New York as viscera can contain highly concentrated Clostridium botulinum spores. Clostridium botulinum spores can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal foodborne illness, which has been linked to uneviscerated fish in the past. The classic symptoms of botulism include double or blurred vision, general weakness, poor reflexes, and difficulty swallowing. These are all symptoms of the muscle paralysis caused by the bacterial toxin. If untreated, these symptoms may progress to cause paralysis of the respiratory muscles, arms, legs, and trunk. Symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as 6 hours or as late as 10 days.

The affected products are Uneviscerated Dried Roach (Vobla), which were distributed nationwide in five-kilogram boxes. The products have a best by date of June 5, 2015. 

No illnesses have been reported to date.

Georgia Department of Agriculture inspectors will be checking to make sure the recalled products are removed from sale. Consumers who purchased these products are asked not to consume them, and are advised to return the product to the place of purchase.

Questions about this recall?

 

Consumers who purchased this product can contact a S&S Food Import Corp Customer Care Representative at 718-677-6888.

 

To view a comprehensive list of food and feed recalls affecting Georgia, visit our Food Safety Division recall website. If this recall expands or additional details become available in the future, the website will provide the most up-to-date information.